Native Haitian, Pitt defensive end Deslin Alexandre gives back to homeland through NIL
The smiles on the Pitt football players after they won the ACC championship a year ago were born of hard work and the satisfaction of a job well done. Some time after this season — regardless of whether Pitt is able to bring home another ACC trophy — senior defensive...
Pitt’s Abanikanda, UNC’s Maye headline group of versatile ACC playmakers
Being listed at one skill position hasn’t stopped many Atlantic Coast Conference players from contributing elsewhere on offense. In fact, several are thriving because of their versatility. Pittsburgh running back Israel Abanikanda leads the nation in all-purpose yardage thanks to a string of eye-popping performances. North Carolina freshman quarterback Drake...
ACC preview: UNC, Duke stand out even with coaching turnover
Notre Dame coach Mike Brey was out recruiting during the Peach Jam summer tournament when someone cornered him with a question. “They said, ‘Hey Coach, do you think the two new guys at Duke and Carolina are going to do well?’” Brey recalled. “I said, ‘I hope not.’ But I...
Pitt picked to finish next to last in ACC preseason poll
Pitt’s basketball team will need to earn its respect on the floor this season. The Panthers were picked to finish 14th in the 15-team ACC in a preseason poll of 101 media members who attended the ACC Tipoff meetings last week. Only Georgia Tech finished behind the Panthers in the...
After-hours video study brings Pitt offensive linemen together
Every Tuesday and Wednesday after the evening meal, Dave Borbely’s offensive linemen (at least the ones without a night class) return to Pitt’s practice facility. Borbely programs the computer in his office to show videos of the opposing team’s defense, instructs the guys on what’s important and walks away. “If...
Pitt wide receiver Jaden Bradley plans to enter transfer portal
Pitt sophomore wide receiver Jaden Bradley, who caught two touchdown passes in the loss to Georgia Tech, announced Monday on Twitter his intention to enter the NCAA transfer portal. Bradley, who was in the starting lineup in Pitt’s most recent game against Virginia Tech, is fifth on the team with...
Pitt loses injured offensive tackle Carter Warren for season
The news emerging from Pitt’s off week couldn’t have been worse for a coach who loves developing and sustaining a solid ground game. Pat Narduzzi announced Monday that senior offensive tackle Carter Warren, who has appeared in 40 games (39 starts) since 2019 while anchoring the left side of the...
Pitt’s Izzy Abanikanda earns AP’s midyear ACC honors
North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye and Syracuse coach Dino Babers headline the honorees in The Associated Press’ midseason report for the Atlantic Coast Conference. Maye, a second-year passer, was picked as the league’s top offensive player through the season’s first half in voting by AP writers covering league teams after...
Pitt, senior Jamarius Burton confront adversity with new faces, injection of confidence
Anyone with a TV or access to the internet knows the state of Pitt basketball. Over the past six seasons, the Panthers lacked scoring, quality depth, proper locker room chemistry and, in the end, enough victories to uphold the tradition of winning created at the turn of the century by...
First Call: Steelers work out former Pitt wide receiver; Bills praise Kenny Pickett; Logan Cooley update
Wednesday’s “First Call” features a Pitt Panther who got a tryout with the Steelers. Kenny Pickett got the attention of some Buffalo Bills stars. We have a Logan Cooley update from Minnesota. And the NHL season is underway. Pickett draws praise In advance of their 38-3 victory over the Steelers...
Pitt women’s basketball coach Lance White encouraged by players’ confidence
Now in his fifth season as Pitt’s women’s basketball coach, Lance White said Tuesday that he sees more than hope building among his players. He sees confidence, which is an encouraging sign for a team that has lost 28 of its past 33 ACC games. “They’re understanding the confidence that...
Pitt using bye week to prepare for tough finishing stretch
With no game until Oct. 22 in Louisville, Pitt’s players and coaches are spending the week on the South Side working on fixing those “little things” — their words — that have dropped them from the Associated Press Top 25. • Bad angles by defensive players toward ball carriers. •...
First Call: Odd substance check for ex-Pirates pitcher in playoffs; Browns make a trade; Pitt vs. Penn State alumni showdown
Monday’s “First Call” features a strange occurrence surrounding a former Pittsburgh Pirate in the Major League Baseball playoffs. The Cleveland Browns are making a trade. A Cincinnati Bengals star is struggling. And a Pitt versus Penn State alumni battle lives up to the billing. Messin’ with Musgrove Former Pirate Joe...
During off week, Pitt will direct plenty of attention toward 1-dimensional offense
Pat Narduzzi has built his coaching career — a pretty good one in its 33rd overall season — on a desire to make the opposing offense one-dimensional. Actually, it’s more of a demand than a desire. As such, it’s no secret where Narduzzi will direct plenty of attention before Pitt’s...
Bill Hillgrove sees history made at both ends of nearly a half-century of Pitt football
Legendary broadcaster Bill Hillgrove’s weekend was busy just like they all are during football season. Pitt on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium for the play-by-play call of the Virginia Tech game, and a car trip to Buffalo on Sunday for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills. Of course, it was nothing...
Pitt notebook: Panthers carry momentum into bye week, but need to tighten bolts defensively
After dropping its ACC opener last weekend to Georgia Tech, Pitt handled business vs. Virginia Tech on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium, defeating the Hokies, 45-29, avoiding another toe-stubbing loss against one of the conference’s lesser opponents. There was plenty to celebrate following the game for the Panthers, nothing more so...
Pitt rides Izzy Abanikanda’s school-record 320 yards to victory over Virginia Tech
Izzy Abanikanda might have been the least surprised person inside Acrisure Stadium on Saturday night. Almost as if rushing for a school-record 320 yards and six touchdowns and leading Pitt to a 45-29 victory against Virginia Tech was little more than a stroll along the Ohio River. “I was just...
Highly touted freshman Pitt basketball player Dior Johnson charged with assaulting woman, suspended from team
A University of Pittsburgh basketball player is facing charges of aggravated assault, strangulation and false imprisonment after an incident that took place last month. Dior Johnson, 18, of Forbes Avenue, Oakland, is accused of assaulting a woman Sept. 5 and again the next morning in his apartment because he was...
Pitt Take 5: Virginia Tech game no must-win, but the Panthers better win, anyway
By definition, Pitt’s game Saturday against Virginia Tech does not represent a must-win. Pitt (3-2, 0-1 ACC) can lose to the Hokies and still rally to win the ACC Coastal. Remember: Pitt lost two within the conference and still went to the championship game in 2018. But a loss to...
Friday Football Footnotes: Von Miller dismisses Kenny Pickett’s ‘underdog’ quote; Bart Scott pans Steelers drafting Pickett
In this week’s edition of “Friday Football Footnotes,” a member of the Buffalo Bills takes exception to something said by Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett. A former rival of the Steelers pans the franchise’s decision to draft Pickett instead of addressing the offensive line. Plus, Le’Veon Bell isn’t done with boxing,...
Is Izzy ready to return? Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi hints running back Abanikanda may be getting better
All Pat Narduzzi needed was a remote microphone, and his final words Thursday at his weekly media briefing would have qualified as a classic mic drop. While he rose from the long, wooden table in a room where many of the Pitt coaching staff’s most important meetings are held, he...
Pitt’s Gavin Bartholomew doesn’t allow pregame ‘jitters’ to keep from being grounded
The moments before a game are when Gavin Bartholomew wants to be alone. “I try to keep to myself a little bit, tune in to what I have to do to get the job done,” Pitt’s sophomore tight end said. But he should know — actually, he likely is well...
Pitt defensive line coach Charlie Partridge likes leadership shown by senior end Habakkuk Baldonado
Habakkuk Baldonado recorded nine sacks for Pitt last season, and he was poised to become an even better defensive end this season. Among his 43 tackles were a career-high seven that he made when they mattered most: in the ACC championship victory against Wake Forest. At the end of the...
Pitt coaches aren’t surprised by Kenny Pickett’s fast rise to Steelers’ QB1
Charlie Partridge was busy Sunday afternoon, preparing for another week of practice, trying to help figure out how to beat Virginia Tech. The Pittsburgh Steelers game was on the TV, but it was little more than elevator music to Pitt’s defensive line coach. He was fixated on the Hokies. Later,...
Pitt basketball lands 4-star guard recruit Jaland Lowe
Pitt coach Jeff Capel landed the second four-star recruit for his class of 2023 when Jaland Lowe, a shooting guard from Missouri City, Texas, pledged to enroll next year. Lowe, 6-foot, 160 pounds, joins four-star Carlton Carrington, a 6-3 guard from Baltimore. The third member of Capel’s projected ’23 freshman...
